370 AUDUBON 



ent. In habits this bird resembles the 5. hirundo, and 

 has nearly the same harsh note; it feeds principally on 

 shrimps, which abound in these waters. Five young L. 

 mariuHs were brought alive, small and beautifully spotted 

 yet over the head and back, somewhat like a Leopard; 

 they walked well about the deck, and managed to pick up 

 the food given them; their cry was a "hac, hac, hac, 

 wheet, wheet, wheet. " Frequently, when one was about 

 to swallow a piece of flesh, a brother or sister would jump 

 at it, tug, and finally deprive its relative of the morsel in 

 an instant. John assured me that the old birds were too 

 shy to be approached at all. John shot a fine male of the 

 Scoter Duck, which is scarce here. Saw some Wild 

 Geese {Anser canadensis), which breed here, though they 

 have not yet formed their nests. The Red-breasted Mer- 

 ganser {Mergus scrrator) breeds also here, but is extremely 

 shy and wary, flying off as far as they can see us, which 

 to me in this wonderfully wild country is surprising; in- 

 deed, thus far all the sea-fowl are much wilder than those 

 of the Floridas. Twenty nests of a species of Cormo- 

 rant,^ not yet ascertained, were found on a small detached, 

 rocky island; these were built of sticks, sea-weeds, and 

 grasses, on the naked rock, and about two feet high, as 

 filthy as those of their relations the Floridians.'^ Three 

 eggs were found in one nest, which is the complement, 

 but not a bird could be shot — too shy and vigilant. This 

 afternoon the captain and I walked to the Little Natas- 

 quan River, and proceeded up it about four miles to the 

 falls or rapids — a small river, dark, irony waters, sandy 

 shores, and impenetrable woods along these, except here 

 and there is a small space overgrown with short wiry 

 grass unfit for cattle; a thing of little consequence, as no 



1 No doubt the common species, Phalacrocorax carbo, as Audubon after- 

 ward identified it. See beyond, date of June 30. — E. C. 



2 That is, the species which Audubon named the Florida Cormorant, 

 Phalacrocorax floridanus, now known to be a small southern form of the 

 Double-crested Cormorant, P. dilophus. — E. C. 



